The path to self-discovery is a difficult topic, and an arduous journey. As parents, it’s one we face in determining our role with regard to our children but it’s also one we’re confronted with when our children reach adolescence. As they grow and begin to pull away from us, we’re obliged to try and guide them on the right path. Looking back, as I often do when I write these posts, I remember how my parents tried to guide me and the many times that I didn’t listen. The urge to resist them was greater than the urge to do the right thing-it’s something I’m not too proud of but I recognize it’s a right of passage and I’ll likely see similar behavior from my own children. And yet, I still harbor the vain hope that my children will be different. That their adolescence will be less turbulent because my relationship with them is different, and more evolved than in the previous generation. Perhaps it’s just wishful thinking.

I recently received two books that tackle the topic of self-discovery from a Native American point of view. They are geared to older children and pre-teens and the lessons they impart are valuable and timeless.